It is assumed that governmental institutions will play a crucial role in building Normative Technologies for several reasons:
- The non-exclusivity and non-rivalry properties of Normative Technologies as derived from Digital Commons make it difficult to create viable business models for developing the technology itself, and thus substantial development must be done with public funding.
- Governments will need to provide a mandate for delegates to governing bodies of Normative Technology to provide them with a democratic legitimacy.
It should be noted that technological systems that provide the public with services (“GovTech” for short) are a small part of the technological landscape that is relevant to Normative Technologies. Since Normative Technologies provide regulability, sovereignty, insight for citizens and ultimately an ability for citizens to reject technology, governments should seek to build GovTech on Normative Technologies that have achieved broad adoption amongst the citizens.
Nevertheless, governments should not be afraid to use democratic processes to propose new technologies to citizens, and will be an important provider of systems that have a historical basis, such as identity or monetary systems. In many jurisdictions, such technologies building blocks are likely to see rapid adoptions and strengthen the Normative Technological landscape.